There seems to be very little information out there about the Baby-Vanderbilt; presumably a support race for the 1915 Vanderbilt Cup; held that year in San Francisco as part of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Unlike the Vanderbilt, which ran as a longer road race throughout the area, the Baby-Vanderbilt seems to have been run entirely within the grandstand area as a sort of miniature circle-track race. This image is from a stereoscope of the start of the race, and provides a rare opportunity to see an early 3D(ish) image of a cyclecar race. I’ve animated it here to approximate the 3D view the stereoscope provides.
In my searches for more information, I came across a marvelous post at The Garage Blog telling the story of motorcyclist Bob Mibach pausing to dig through the chicken coop at a farm with a “motorcycles for sale” sign. In a moment of barn-find perfection, he came upon one of the Baby Vanderbilt racers: an Indian twin powered and very restorable little pile of smiles. Could it have been the Indian-powered machine that propelled Harry Hartz to victory in 1915?
There seems to be precious little information out there on the Baby-Vanderbilt. Here’s a thread on the Nostalgia Forum, that mentions film of the event that doesn’t seem to be online any longer. Please pass along any more info if you come across it.
I’m really enjoying The MotArt’s posts of collected photography lately. Click on over for more from this beloved many-time world champion GP road racer. 122 Grand Prix wins, 15 World championships—the all-time motorcycle leader in career wins.
I love that “Ago” wouldn’t play second fiddle to Hailwood when he was brought on at Agusta. That took some balls. Probably even more than even a MotoGP racer typically has. Fantastic.
Southsiders MC has published a wonderful collection of photos of 5-times Italian Motorcycle Champion (250cc/175cc) and 1928 European Champion (175cc), Alfredo Panella. The photos were scanned from a reader’s grandfather’s collection. My quick search for Alfredo turns up little information—surprising for a rider of his profile with a long career: 1924-1939. It makes me wonder what other racing drivers have slipped through the cracks of history. It’s an amazing pity to consider the number of drivers and motorcyclists that were once well-known heroes and are largely forgotten only a few decades later. This is just one of the reasons why I believe so passionately in the idea of getting films and photos out of the shoeboxes in grandpa’s closet and onto the web.
The disused Detroit Velodrome lit up the blogs a few weeks ago when the Detroit Mower Gang decided that the bicycle heritage of the Motor City should be spruced up a bit. A few volunteers later, the half-mile concrete velodrome was cleared of trash, beer cans, and overgrowth. Surely I’m not the only one who immediately thinks of the Green Hell when I see graffiti on a racing surface?
Thankfully I’m not alone in that feeling that it deserved to be raced on again. Some friends capitalized on the opportunity by taking their motorcycles to the track for a scouting run. While it remains a bit treacherous—there’s a large enough gash in the concrete on part of the track to make high speeds too dangerous—it is certainly rideable.
I love when a blog’s commenter can complete the story. The MotArt posted these photos found on MajorCalloway’s Flickr with the note “maybe East Germany?”. An anonymous commenter completes the story perfectly. “Thats East Germany, the Sachsenring. It might be 1961 or 1962. International races are only from 1961 to 1972 in East Germany. And with the Honda RC 145, it is international.” Sorry to steal The MotArts thunder, but the thrill of a solved mystery is too good not to share.
The swan song of the great Italian race bike makers, 1976 was in the middle of the transition to Japanese maker dominance. But let’s raise our glasses for the Guzzis, Agustas, and Gileras.
You could have done worse things with your summer of 1966 than perch yourself around the bends of Charade. There’s footage from the May MotoGP meeting, and a July 1966 saloon and sportscar race that set the stage for the filming of Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix. Which makes this film not only a great series of clips from the storied track, but a prop in the camera operator’s position among the 3,000 extras that served as the crowd for the faux French GP. Lucky for us, our cameraman was close to the action too, there’s clear shots of Françoise Hardy in the pits, as well as Frankenheimer himself (I think that’s him in the camel sportcoat). Marvelous!
I love it when old ideas are re-examined alongside new innovation. After being banned in 1957, the dustbin fairing is returning to the contemporary motorcycle racing scene on the 2010 Agni E1 electric race bike.
Just look at this video. With the rider’s simple black racing suit you can almost make yourself believe you’re looking at 50′s footage—until you see the back half of the bike anyway.
Limited power? Limited range? Sounds like electric bikes will, somewhat unexpectedly, give the modern world a return to old-time racing.
In my searches for more information, I came across a marvelous post at The Garage Blog telling the story of motorcyclist Bob Mibach pausing to dig through the chicken coop at a farm with a “motorcycles for sale” sign. In a moment of barn-find perfection, he came upon one of the Baby Vanderbilt racers: an Indian twin powered and very restorable little pile of smiles. Could it have been the Indian-powered machine that propelled Harry Hartz to victory in 1915?
. Which makes this film not only a great series of clips from the storied track, but a prop in the camera operator’s position among the 3,000 extras that served as the crowd for the faux French GP. Lucky for us, our cameraman was close to the action too, there’s clear shots of Françoise Hardy in the pits, as well as Frankenheimer himself (I think that’s him in the camel sportcoat). Marvelous! 
